


Left Unsaid

by umidra



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claude is pining way more than byleth, F/M, I love Claude so damn much, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 01:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21291461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umidra/pseuds/umidra
Summary: “It’d be a waste to pass up the chance of having our wish granted. What do ya say Teach? Want to try our luck?”Based off of the Goddess Tower dialogue between Byleth and Claude.
Relationships: Claude von Riegan & Reader, My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	Left Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> I love this man so much,,, FE has taken over my life

“Teach.”

The voice was unexpected, and Byleth almost,  _ almost, _ flinched. But instead she turned around and met the gleaming emerald eyes of Golden Deer’s schemer.

“Couldn’t stand the ball anymore eh?” He starts in that playful banter. She knows he is trying to tease her. She can never help but notice how the corners of his mouth curl up, just barely, whenever he’s scheming something. After years of mercenary work and reading facial expressions and body language, she could tell when there was more than what meets the eye. He was surveying her, saying the right things to try and elicit a response from her, just as he had when they first met.

“I wouldn’t say that…” She replies, softly, of course, and he only gives her that mischievous smile and shrugs. “Hey, crowds aren’t for everybody. I’m kinda the same y’know.” She’s unsure if he’s being truthful. The way his eyes suddenly sag, akin to a puppy being told “no” for the first time, makes her want to believe him. But she stays guarded, just in case.

“I don’t believe it.”

He laughs, grinning from ear to ear. “You can see right through me, huh Teach? But I’m serious, parties really aren’t for me.”

She sees his grin falter slightly, the tone of his voice becomes… exasperated. And there is something else behind it… Something she can’t pick up on yet.

“Those dances the nobles do… well. I never really grew up with that, my childhood was… a little lacking in that sense.” There’s pain in his eyes. For a moment he’s remembering something, watching the memory replay in his mind. 

“Even though you’re from a noble family?” 

The fog seems to clear from his eyes and he grins, the same smile from when they first met forcing its way back onto his face. “Even so! Who I am on the inside won’t change from status alone.” She is about to pry a little, wanting to figure out what his past is, but he cuts her off smoothly.

“That aside teach… Have you heard the legends surrounding this tower?” Byleth shakes her head.

“They say if a man and woman pray for the same thing here, on this night, the goddess will grant their wish without fail.”

_ Quite a silly tradition if you ask me.  _ Byleth frowns and Sothis snickers, shrugging her shoulders before retreating from the blue haired girl’s mind.  _ What will you wish for, I wonder… _

“Why tonight?” She asks, and Claude merely shrugs in return. “Who knows? Probably has something to do with the monastery’s anniversary. Maybe the goddess comes down to celebrate. She’d like to party wouldn’t she?”

Byleth shakes her head in disbelief, the tiniest of smiles gracing her lips. He catches it, and though he would never say so, his heart skips a beat... “It’s just a legend though, it’s not based on any truths. But…” He wants to see that smile more, and he’ll push his luck just for the chance. “It’d be a waste to pass up the chance of having our wish granted. What do ya say Teach? Want to try our luck?” 

“What would we even pray for?” She asks. She’s confused on where the entire conversation is going, but then again she was always a little confused when it came to him. A man and a woman… having their wish granted… It was strange and rather romantic, especially with the moon coming out from behind the clouds at this moment. “How about we pray for our ambitions to come true? Even you must have something you’re after.”

They’re standing underneath the glow of the moon, and his brown skin is bathed in the light. He looks utterly ethereal, and she can only hope her cheeks haven’t lit up with pink. He’s always been handsome. She’s never really let herself think that, but standing here, just the two of them…

“I do have some ambitions…” She says. He smiles, and she realizes  _ he really is so handsome…  _ Even if he wasn’t “like” the other students. Even if he was different than the others, there was nothing wrong with that, he had dreams and goals that he wanted to achieve just like everyone else. She admired that. “That’s what I thought. Everyone has something they long for…” He hadn’t realized how strained his voice was saying that. He hoped that she hadn’t noticed it, and quickly cleared his throat. “I’m the same y’know. I hadn’t realized it but I started holding onto some pretty big ambitions.”

“I would… love if you would share some of your ambitions with me, Teach.”

She caught it this time. But she didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything. His voice gave it away, wavering with her in front of him. He knows she caught it. The way her pretty blue eyes are drilling into his, he knows that she’s well aware of what he really means. “All of that aside, why don’t we pray before the goddess gets some shut-eye for the evening. Ready?”

Byleth didn’t expect him to give her a playful smile before tilting his head towards the sky. “OH DIVINE GODDESS, HEAR OUR PRAYERS…” She had to try her best not to burst out laughing at his antics. She liked that about him, his spontaneity, how he could easily control a situation and always gear it towards what he wanted. He clears his throat and turns to her, as if nothing had happened. “That’s good enough. The goddess’ll make our wish come true now, right?”

Byleth can only sigh and give him a small smile. “I wonder about that.”

Claude wonders if she knows that smile could kill him. He wonders if he can be bold, and wonders if she’d humor him, just a little. “We’ve done all we can. Whether we actually believe our dreams will come true is up to us isn’t it?”

She realizes he’s gotten closer. She hadn’t realized it until now, and looking up at him she wishes she could reach out, hold him close… 

He swallows, unknowingly thinking the same thing. They stare at each other for a few seconds, both wondering if the other was feeling the same as them. Claude wanted nothing more than to finally run his hands through her hair, wanting to know if it was as soft as he’d imagined. Wanting to know if her lips were as soft as he’d dreamed about…

“I suppose we should head back soon. I’m sure everyone’s looking for you.”

He wished he had said something different. The quiet “yeah” that left her lips squeezed his heart in a way he hadn’t expected. And hadn’t wanted. But he knew today wasn’t the day to tell her. He couldn’t, not yet. “Save a dance for me though, will ya teach? I promise I’m a pretty good dancer.” The wink that accompanied his lighthearted banter seemed emptier than before. When she nodded and bid him farewell, he could only stare at her figure as she walked away.

If only he could tell her.


End file.
